Restorative Approaches in Educational Settings

Values-based - Needs led

Everyone in a school has certain needs to be able to give of their best. These needs are often expressed as essential values – they are essential because they relate to what we need as human beings to function well together.

These needs are remarkably similar regardless of age or status, role or position. They include

When these needs are unmet, or are ignored or violated, then people can become sad, resentful, hostile and behave in very negative ways towards others. This behaviour in turn has a knock-on effect on those around them.....

.....Like ripples on a pond

A downward spiral of conflict and increasingly damaged relationships can impact on the whole community – be it a school, a care home, an office or workplace.

A range of restorative skills and processes adopted by everyone in such a community can ensure that human needs are addressed and become the responsibility of that community.

This process can start in classrooms and staffrooms, where people sit in circle and explore together what everyone all needs from each other. The resulting list can become the basis of a list of agreed norms for behaviour, norms that everyone subscribes to, young and old.

Young people need to practice pro-social skills and so the teaching and learning policy of a school can help to maximise the opportunities for learning relationship skills like active listening, emotional literacy, negotiation, co-operation and conflict-resolution. Co-operative learning , assessment for learning and many other interactive techniques can all complement time spent in circles and small groups.

We base our pro-active relationship programmes for schools on our

Restorative approaches do not have the monopoly on skills and strategies for developing safe harmonious classrooms and staffrooms. However their Unique Selling Point (USP) is what it offers people when things go wrong. They utilise the same relational skills people need to make relationships in the first place to respond when these relationships need to be repaired and harm needs to be addressed. Without the pro-active emphasis on developing relationship skills both young people and staff will struggle to respond appropriately in the heat of the moment.

As one of our trainers says -

“Skills learnt and practised in times of peace become automatic in times of war”

So what is unique about a restorative approach to conflict and challenging behaviour?

Virtually all so-called ‘discipline issues’ in schools or residential settings either stem from, or result in, inter-personal conflict, which leave two or more people feeling angry, hurt, resentful, anxious or even afraid.

Reflection, Challenge

& Fun

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Our Courses

We are signatories to the Restorative Justice Council’s National Trainers Code of Practice which means that all courses are based on the appropriate National Occupational Standards for Restorative Practice for that module.